On Tuesday, the girls’ varsity basketball team volunteered to serve breakfast at The Coalition for the Homeless. Coach Special Jennings and Assistant Coach Rashad Lyle transported the Team at 4 a.m. and joined them in the work because they feel that service is an important lesson in building character off the court. Mjracle Sheppard, a 12th grader, and Vivian Iwuchukwu, an 11th grader, shared their experience.
Mjracle Sheppard stated, “We helped at The Coalition for the Homeless serving breakfast. The experience was heart touching to be able to help so many people while we were there! “The experience was so good because this is real life. Not many kids our age witness homelessness because of the privilege we have today, but we shouldn’t have to see that to be grateful for things we already have. I’ve learned that I need to be even more grateful for the things that I have, and whenever I have the opportunity to help, I will. The highlight for me was talking to this little boy, and he was showing me what game he was playing! It was the cutest thing ever! Yes! Helping serve or any community service opportunity is great! The Coalition for the Homeless is doing phenomenal work and touching so many hearts by not just feeding people but by building connections with people! Oftentimes many people experiencing homelessness are looked over, but at the Coalition, they are welcomed with open arms! It was great to share this moment with my team because we all got the opportunity to be selfless and do something for others!”
Vivian Iwuchukwu stated, “On Tuesday, December 27, from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. our team was able to feed the homeless, and we were able to give back and help out with less fortunate people. It was a little bit what I expected and at the same time not what I expected. Going into an environment like that, you don’t expect to meet people that are very optimistic, but in this case, they were very grateful and were joking around, which made the experience fun. Today I learned that even though you go through adversity, you should always stay positive because there is always someone out in the world that is going through hard times. For me, the highlight of the day was when they all were so grateful and all clapped for us and thanked us for coming out to help serve. To me, I feel like if you are willing to help people and really feel and understand the impact that you’re doing, then absolutely do community service and encourage your friends to serve, too. I would like to say that this is a great facility that is really helping the homeless with the services they provide.”
If you have questions about volunteering at the Coalition for the Homeless, please contact Margaret Price, Assistant Dean of Students for Multiculturalism, Leadership and Student Programs.